


overpriced coffee really does suck

by dripndrops



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, I'll figure it out, Modern AU, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Tressa probably owns this cafe, alfyn has to clean up his messes, cafe setting, it'll probably be more complicated than "lovers" though, ophilia and primrose have a good relationship, therion just wants to pay off a debt and tries to act like he doesn't care, yep Tressa co-owns the cafe and she loves it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 00:44:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18728227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dripndrops/pseuds/dripndrops
Summary: If there was one very good reason to keep going back to that small cafe everyone seemed to love, it wasn't exactly what was being served there. (Perhaps it was more of who was doing the serving.)(Therion may suck at his job, but that didn't stop Ophilia from coming back.)





	1. dishwater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever gotten a drink that tasted so awful you wished you never went to that place? This is dedicated to that drink. I've experienced that drink too many times.  
> I wanted to try out this whole "cafe modern au" trope, and what better way to do it than for Octopath?  
> May or may not continue this. (edit: Continuing it!)

When Ophilia took the first sip of her drink, her face immediately scrunched up against her will.

“Hm, that is not a sight I thought I would see,” Primrose simply laughed at the younger woman’s expression. The two were seated near the window of a cafe they wanted to try after finishing their afternoon classes; papers and notebooks were scattered over the desk, most of which were Primrose’s as she had been studying there for perhaps an hour while waiting for her friend to arrive. Despite the many good reviews Primrose had seen online, it seemed her friend hadn’t exactly enjoyed her first taste. “Is it not to your liking?”

“No, it’s not that,” Ophilia hurriedly said, though Primrose simply raised an eyebrow and noticed Ophilia slowly placing her drink onto the table and putting her hands in her lap. It seemed that she had no intention of picking it back up anytime soon. “It’s just that...it was much more bitter than I had expected. I asked for the barista to make me what he would recommend and…well, it’s alright!” Taking the drink, Primrose took a sip of it and winced; it tasted utterly dull and extremely bitter. Strangely, it reminded her of a mixture of dish soap and dirt. Needless to say, it wasn’t a good drink whatsoever, and especially not one worth the expensive price the cafe demanded. The brunette glanced at the man Ophilia spoke to not too long ago; scruffy looking and grinning ear to ear at the customer he was speaking to, the brown haired man didn’t seem to have had any bad intentions. Though, Primrose knew better than to base good will on appearances.

“Prim! I said it was alright! Really!” Though her friend’s worried and fretful tone made Primrose rethink her actions, her resolve to get it sorted out was greater, and she made her way back to the counter with Ophilia’s drink.

Alfyn, she learned from the taller male’s name tag, looked utterly confused when Primrose questioned him about it, though his face shifted to one of shock as she explained that he gave her friend black coffee and nothing else. The fact that it looked like it didn’t have the slightest bit of effort put into it was what Primrose was somewhat angry about; how could he take advantage of such a poor girl’s trust and give her something that looked like dyed water?

“That’s--” Alfyn chuckled nervously then turned his head to the side, looking annoyed. “ _Therion!_ Get over here!” After moving off to the side and gesturing for Primrose to follow, she watched as an even _scruffier_ looking man came out, shaggy white hair overgrown and covering one eye. Even the way he wore that simple black apron the rest of the workers wore looked like he’d thrown it on. “Sorry, miss. He’s the one I had to put in charge of making your friend’s drink ‘cause I had to get other orders in, and he, I, and Tress are the only ones working…” A small, determined looking girl had easily taken over for Alfyn as he sorted things out. He glared at the white-haired man, though he, _Therion_ as his name tag suggested, looked totally uninterested. “Since it was his first day working here, I thought he’d be able to handle a little task.”

“Hey, you said you needed a drink, _any_ drink, and I made one,” Therion pointed out. “Never said I was supposed to make it fancy.”

“She paid five dollars for it,” Primrose deadpanned.

“Not my problem.”

Though not visible to the eye, tension immediately rose between the two. Alfyn seemed to be the only one who noticed, wincing despite his reassuring smile that failed to do its job.

Yet before Primrose could speak, Ophilia cut in, having rushed over before any damage could be done. “It’s quite alright!” she said hurriedly, clutching the strap of her purse. “If anything, I should not have been so indecisive. It’s not something to fight over.” The last line was pointed at Primrose more than anything.

“You’re damn right it’s not,” Therion muttered under his breath, and both Alfyn and Primrose whipped their heads to glare at him, one smiling in a way that told him to shut up and the other with a murderous glint.

“Therion, is it?” Ophilia glanced at his nametag. “I’m sorry if my friend offended you. It really wasn’t that bad.”

“You’re lucky you’re going to church after this,” Primrose poked Ophilia on the forehead, knowing fully well that the blonde haired girl was lying. “It tasted god awful. Perhaps you should be working in a different place if you lack the skills to make a decent drink.”

“As if I wan--”

“Hey, look, I’m sorry to cut this short,” Alfyn and Therion’s younger co-worker piped in, and Alfyn looked like he was about to drop to her feet and sing her words of praise. _Tressa_ was printed neatly on her nametag and she was dressed the neatest of the three. She was definitely younger than them as well, even younger than Ophilia, Primrose noted. “But there are more people coming in, and I kind of need help.”

“Look, miss,” Alfyn said, looking at Primrose. “I’m really sorry about this. I swear, we’ll make it up to you next time, but right now we kinda need to get back to work.”

Primrose scoffed. “As if there’ll be a next time.” Therion had already disappeared from beside Alfyn, going off to who knows where; he probably hadn’t even processed half of what happened because of his lack of interest in it. “Come on, Phili.” She walked back to their table, Ophilia scurrying after her.

“It was our first time here,” Ophilia said hastily, standing beside the table as Primrose sat down and began packing her things. “I think that you were a bit too harsh.”

Primrose sighed. “Phili, you’re not going to get anywhere if you let people take advantage of you like that,” she said, neatly stacking her papers together and pulling a folder out from her bag. “Yes, it was something small, but it still should have been somewhat of a lesson for you. You trusted in the judgement of a stranger, and what did you receive? Dishwater.”

“Bland coffee,” Ophilia corrected, then bit her lip as Primrose raised her eyebrow, her facing having “I told you so” written all over it. “If this is a lesson, then so be it. I’ll learn. But you didn’t have to go up there and start a fight.”

“I was standing up for you.”

“And I believe,” Ophilia took the folder from Primrose’s hand and placed it back down onto the table, causing the brunette to look at her with an impassive expression. “That I am old enough to stand up on my own. Really, I understand that you care for me, but there’s no need to go to such an extent.” When their eyes met properly, Ophilia’s eyes shined with something Primrose couldn’t read. “I...I know that you promised Lianna you would take care of me when I moved away--”

“Phili, it’s not about that.” When she tried to take the folder, Ophilia moved it away.

“No! I know you’re trying to watch over me because Lianna asked you to,” Ophilia said. “But I can take care of myself. And...you’re not obligated to listen to what she said anymore.”

Primrose laughed. “That hurt,” she admitted, and immediately Ophilia’s face fell in guilt. “I’m being serious, Ophilia. If our entire friendship was just about me being your sister’s ex, then I wouldn’t have even bothered to stay with you. I’m with you because you’re a dear friend of mine, no matter how we were previously affiliated. I’ll take care of you regardless of what your sister asked of me.” She huffed. “And that includes stupid small things such as this.”

“Prim…” Though her words were honest, and Ophilia knew that, her brown eyes were still wide with guilt. “Thank you. Once more, you’ve proven that you’re so much stronger than I would ever be...but will you listen to me just this once?” Slowly, she placed the folder down. “There’s no need to be upset over such a small thing. It’d be a hassle to try and find another place to sit down and study if we’re already at this one. So can we please put this coffee thing aside and stay?”

“...alright,” Primrose sighed. Her mind was already swirling with things that bothered her, and the coffee incident was now almost insignificant. “But--”

“Hey.” And just when her headache was starting, Primrose felt it increase at the voice that called out beside them. Ophilia jumped a bit seeing the white-haired barista standing beside their table, one hand in his apron pocket and the other holding a bag.

“Oh! Yes?” Ophilia looked quite startled and confused, and even more so when he tossed the bag onto the table, hitting Primrose’s folder and falling onto its side. A shiny red object tumbled out with a couple _thuds_ , hinting there were more inside. “An apple?”

“On the house,” he said. “Well, actually, that was my lunch.”

Before Primrose could say anything out of mortification and frustration, she was silenced by Ophilia’s kind, grateful smile. “You’re giving it to us?”

“More to you,” he jerked his head in Primrose’s direction. “Because she looks pissed off at me.”

“You’re giving her your _leftovers_ ,” Primrose nearly hissed.

“Excuse you. I said it _was_ my _lunch_ , meaning I haven’t touched it yet. Got them from the market on the way here.”

“The one with the stalls?” Ophilia asked, picking the apple that rolled onto the table up and examining it; it looked faultless.

“Yep. Easier to take from.” Before either one of the girls could say anything, he waved a hand; something caught Ophilia’s eye. An odd looking metal bracelet that resembled more of a handcuff, clinging as he moved. “Consider it part of my apology. Alfyn said if I didn’t make it up to you, we’d lose more customers, and I kind of need to pay someone back, so…”

“How sincere,” Primrose murmured with underlying sarcasm, though Ophilia’s response of “Thank you!” was much more genuine and filled with sincere thankfulness.

“Then the next time we come here, I expect for my coffee to be made better,” Ophilia declared, and Primrose turned to look at her in surprise. _The next time?_

Therion snorted, leaning towards her. “By then, you should learn how to read a menu beforehand.”

Still, Ophilia didn’t back down, staring at him triumphantly. “And by then, I presume you’ll be able to properly serve customers something they can drink.”

Had Primrose not been in so much shock from Ophilia shooting something back, she would have burst into uncharacteristic laughter.

Instead of being offended, Therion simply smirked and reached out, placing his hand over hers and closing her fingers over the apple. “Heh. It’s a challenge.” And with that, he pulled away and leaned back; he walked back to the counter, back to a very anxious looking Alfyn and jumpy Tressa.

Primrose only stared at Ophilia. “What do you mean ‘next time’?” she asked, crossing her arms. It took Ophilia a moment to look back, apple still enclosed in her hand. Her pale face, Primrose noted with raised eyebrows, was _flushed_.

She seemed to be at a loss for words for a few seconds, mouth agape at what just happened, before closing her mouth. Raising her wrist, her eyes glanced at the small wristwatch that adorned it. “Look how late it’s getting! I have to attend service in an hour, so we should get to studying right now…” No matter how much she insisted, Primrose knew she was desperately trying to change the subject.

Raising an eyebrow, she made a mental addition to the list of things she needed to protect Ophilia from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies if Primrose was too out of character; if I'm being completely honest, I didn't pay enough attention to her during my gameplay.  
> I still have yet to finish the game, too, but hopefully this doesn't reflect too much on that.


	2. underwhelming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably research cafe things more, but I can't bring myself to do it properly

Though being fairly small, the cafe was well-known on the busy street that was a fifteen minute walk away from the university Ophilia and Primrose attended. Ophilia stared at the entrance, feeling slightly better when she looked through the windows and saw barely anyone inside. Fitting for a Tuesday morning. Without Primrose by her side, coming back to the cafe felt less tense.

The word “KINGSHIP” was written in bold letters on the board next to the cafe, along with a drawing of a feather and various stickers, one of them being an octopus and another looking suspiciously like a band aid that’d been stuck there. Underneath was a general list of what they had on their menu. It was all too vague for her to know what to order, though.

When she opened the door, there was the sound of a chime, and immediately the small brunette at the front shouted a cheery “Welcome!” as she watched Ophilia walk in and approach the counter. Ophilia gave the girl a polite smile, reading  _ Tressa _ off her nametag and remembering her from the previous time she’d been there. The girl was smaller than Ophilia was, donning the same black apron and wearing a black short sleeved shirt and white tank top underneath along with jean shorts. Her brown hair was tied up into a ponytail and ruffled. “What can I get...ah! You’re the girl from Sunday, right?”

Ophilia was slightly taken back. “Oh! Yes, I am,” she laughed, slightly flustered. “I didn’t realize my friend and I had caused that much of a commotion to be remembered.”

“Nah, it wasn’t anything that bad,” Tressa waved her hand, as though gesturing it off. “It was on us, really, for trusting Therion to handle something like that. Don’t worry, we’ve worked on teaching him a lesson for that, and he’ll  _ definitely _ get it right next time!”

“What kind of lesson, might I ask?” Ophilia inquired, hoping the punishment wasn’t too severe.

“Nothing too bad,” Tressa said, shrugging, though her eyes held a glint. “But Alfyn’s pretty happy to have such a  _ willing friend _ take over two of his shifts for him. Especially since that means he’ll get to sleep in twice this week.”

_ Taking over work for the man from yesterday? _ The white-haired man’s aloof face came to mind, and Ophilia covered her mouth to hide a giggle, thinking of him grumble about having to do more work. Though she’d only encountered him once, it was an odd but sweet enough encounter for her to be somewhat intrigued.

_ Intrigued. _ Not interested. If she said “interested”, Primrose would be on her case immediately.

“So! What can I get you today?” Tressa chirped. “I heard from Alfyn about what happened, but I don’t mind if you want to have a recommendation. Need something that’ll pick you up in the morning before class? Leave it to me! I have just what you need!” The way the girl beamed made Ophilia smile more openly, rejuvenated by Tressa’s liveliness.

“Then I’ll have what you recommend,” Ophilia said, and could already hear Primrose scolding her for trusting not once, but  _ twice _ in the judgement of the barista in this cafe. Yet there was barely anyone there, and Tressa seemed to be the only one working. Ophilia reached into her purse, searching for her wallet and noticed her phone light up from the notification of a text. As she handed over the money, deciding to reply later, Tressa was quick to give her back her change and move straight away to making her drink.

Before Ophilia could turn to find a place to sit down, Tressa was speaking, “So, what’s your name? I don’t want to keep referring to you as the ‘cute little lady.”

Ophilia’s face flushed. “Who said that?”

“Alfyn, but he didn’t mean anything bad of it, I swear,” Tressa said. Ophilia laughed, though she couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of disappointment. Still, she was flattered. “He’s the type of person who can’t help but compliment others. Even though your friend was practically grilling him, he still called her ‘that beautiful woman’.” Ophilia couldn’t blame him; “beautiful” was one of the many things Primrose was, and Primrose knew it and wore it proudly. Beautiful, graceful, and confident. No wonder her sister had fallen for her so fast, seeing such a wondrous sight in their quiet town. Even Ophilia couldn’t deny that she had seen what Lianna did the day they met. “So, what’s your name, cute little lady?” The way Tressa looked, Ophilia wanted to call  _ her _ that.

“Ophilia Clement,” she said, watching as the brunette kept her gaze on her hands and skillfully worked. “And you are Tressa?”

“Yup! Tressa Colzione,” Briefly glancing up, Tressa offered a grin. “Co-owner of the Kingship. Nice to meet you, Ophilia!”

“Co-owner?” Ophilia said, surprised, though this only made Tressa laugh.

“You’re probably thinking, ‘but she’s way too young!’, right?” she asked, and spoke before Ophilia could apologize, “Don’t worry about it! I get that a lot. You see, my friend Mr. Leon, the owner of this place, entrusted it to me, too. His friend opened it up over a decade ago but passed away before he could get it out officially. Mr. Leon was left with it, fixed it up, and eventually opened it for a little while. Since he travels around a lot, it kind of fell apart, but I offered to help out after we met. So now, it’s me running it while he’s out.”

“How kind of you! So young and taking on a whole business…” Tressa huffed.

“Young! I turned eighteen this year!” she said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to run my own business, and this is giving me more experience; in fact, it’s already practically my own.”

“I thought you were still a teenager!” Tressa huffed again, though Ophilia tried to smooth it over with a giggle; it seemed that Tressa didn’t take offense, seeing as the brunette broke into a smile. “Are you attending the university near here?”

“ _ That _ place?! No way!” Tressa exclaimed. “I mean, no offense, but you’d have to either be the luckiest person on earth or one of the  _ richest _ , and I’m neither. I live over in Rippletide; I just started going to the community college there. Lot cheaper.” Tressa placed the drink onto the counter, flashing a bright grin. “And there! Enjoy your drink! I swear, I put in way more effort than Therion did. Then again, anything would beat whatever coffee he makes.”

“Thank you, Tressa.” Ophilia took the drink; upon seeing Tressa stare at her for a few seconds with wide, bright eyes that were waiting for her to try it, Ophilia relented, taking a careful sip so she wouldn’t burn herself. A rich taste immediately overwhelmed her tongue, one that was strong enough to leave a sweet aftertaste but mellowed out after a few seconds. Though it was undoubtedly better than the one she had previously…somehow, it still just wasn’t on par with what she had hoped for, though even she didn’t know exactly what that was. Perhaps she should stop drinking coffee…  

“My number one recommendation: a hazelnut latte,” Tressa informed her triumphantly. “Mr. Leon used to make me that when I needed a pick-me-up after studying for my finals.”

“It’s certainly good for a morning like this,” Ophilia commented, taking another sip for good measure. Her lips curved into a soft smile, a warm feeling spreading throughout her body; somehow, the feeling woke her up. “Do many people come by? Are you alright managing here on your own? Not to doubt your abilities, of course.”

“Alf’s usually here to help me, but...criminals  _ must _ be punished,” Tressa sighed. “Though I guess every punishment now needs to come with  _ hour long breaks, _ huh, Therion?”

_ Therion? _

Tressa’s comment was directed behind Ophilia, who whipped her head in the same direction. In the back corner of the cafe, Therion sat at a table by himself and away from the rest of them. Both of his legs were stretched out onto the chair across the table, and he was slouched over in his own. In his hand was a knife. Apples were strewn on the table, one of them in his hand. It seemed he’d been cutting a few.

“Hey, at least I’m  _ working _ ,” Therion shot back, tilting the knife in Tressa’s direction.

“Last time I checked, _working_ involved actually _doing something!”_

“And I  _ am  _ doing something. Look.” He held up an apple, crudely carved into.

“Are...you making rabbit apples?” Ophilia asked.

“See? I’m doing so well that someone was able to tell what it is,” Therion said. “Yeah, I am. And I’m getting better at it, so I’d say I’m working pretty hard.”

“Man, I’m gonna have to call Alfyn in at this rate,” Tressa groaned, crossing her arms. “Therion, you’re never going to be able to pay off whatever debt it is you have if you’re not gonna do anything!”

“I  _ will _ do it,” Therion said. “Right after this.” Tressa groaned again, throwing her hands up and moving back to the front counter, just as another customer walked in. Ophilia admired the way the frustration was wiped off the younger girl’s face as cheer replaced it, a happy “Welcome!” greeting the person who approached. Deciding she’d look like a distraction for the younger girl, Ophilia moved away and to Therion’s table.

He barely took a glance at her, though he did look slightly surprised. “What brings you here? Making sure I’m upholding what I said? Well, you caught me at a  _ very _ bad time.”

“Yes, since I said that you were supposed to get better serving customers, not carving apples,” Ophilia laughed, covering her mouth slightly with her hand. “Have you not done this before?”

“No, I’m definitely an expert at this,” He waved his current piece at her, one that was jagged all over.

“You’re not supposed to do it like that...you’re cutting under it too much,” Ophilia said. He raised an eyebrow at her and she jumped, feeling she was speaking out of turn. Before she could apologize, he took his legs off the chair they were on and kicked it towards her, sitting up properly.

“Show me,” he jerked his head in the direction of the chair, gesturing for her to sit down. She did, taking the knife as he handed both it and an apple to her. As she set to cutting it, she worked skillfully. He observed her swift movements. “Huh. You must’ve done this a lot.”

“Yes, for my sister and father,” she remarked, a fond smile gracing her lips. “My father loves having them as snacks, especially when he finishes a long night of service.”

“So you’re a church girl,” he remarked. “Makes sense why you wear white so much.”

“Well I…” Unsure of how to respond to that, she stayed silent. It was true that she tended to dress in lighter colors---in fact, she was presently wearing a white blouse and light blue maxi skirt---but that was mainly because she felt she would look too childish if she tried to dress in the colors she often saw on Primrose.

“Not a bad thing,” he shrugged. “Though you do look sort of plain.”

“Plain!”

“Modest,” he corrected himself. “Whatever. Like I said, it wasn’t a bad thing. You’re the type of person who’d be full of surprises. Look, you’re skilled with a knife.”

“I am brandishing it for the sake of teaching you to cut apple slices into bunnies,” she pointed out, and was taken back to see a smirk tug at his lips. Not one that boasted arrogance or mockery, but one that showed amusement.

“You talk weird,” he said. “And you haven’t taught me anything. How am I supposed to learn if you’re just gonna do it for me?”

“Oh! My apologies.” She picked up another slice. “So, it starts like this…”

When he wanted to, Ophilia noticed, Therion was quite focused on learning how to do something. He listened to her every instruction, studied the simple creation, and tried it carefully for himself, questioning every so often if what he was doing was correct. The coffee Tressa made for her cooled significantly, practically forgotten on the table as Ophilia helped Therion cut piece after piece until they were left with apple cores and a plate full of rabbit apples. The two stare down with proud eyes at their creation.

“And there you go,” he said, popping one into his mouth and chewing slowly. She gasped.

“Therion! How could you!” she exclaimed. “After all our hard work!”

He chewed quickly and swallowed. “In my defense, these rabbits are my favorite snack. And my breakfast.” Stretching his arms out, Ophilia watched as he relaxed back into his chair, popping another apple slice into his mouth. “You can have some too, you know. You worked hard for it.”

“Thank you,” she took a piece, one that was definitely his based on the uneven “ears” of the rabbit. He was utterly focused cutting them and they still managed to turn out like that. “Therion, it seems you have a better talent at eating these rather than making them.”

“You  _ wound _ me,” he deadpanned, putting a hand over his chest. “You know, for someone who never even introduced herself, you’re awfully eager to poke fun at me.”

She blinked. “I didn’t? Ah! I didn’t! My name is Ophilia Clement.”

“Clement…” he said, slowly. “You related to the archbishop in Flamesgrace?”

“Yes, he’s my adoptive father,” she said. “Are you acquainted?”

“We met once, for a short while when I ended up there,” Therion recalled, though from his tone, he sounded reluctant to say anything further. Ophilia didn’t press despite her curiosity. “What brings you here in the morning?”

“I wished to have something to wake me up before I went off to my class,” she said, finally remembering the drink she bought. She took another drink of it, finding that it had already grown cold though she didn’t mind too much; it was easier to drink.

“Ugh, put that away,” Therion scrunched up his nose. “Tressa made that, right? I don’t know how you can stand it…”

“You dislike sweet things?”

“No, I dislike the way coffee tastes. It leaves this...weird taste in your mouth. Plus, do you even check how much you’re spending?”

“Money is…” Ophilia trailed off. “If you dislike it so much, then why work here?”

“I have my reasons.”

Another rabbit apple disappeared; Ophilia gathered the apple cores and stood up, walking over to the nearest bin to throw them away. As she walked back, Therion watched her, his dull eyes failing to hide curiosity.

When she sat down, he immediately spoke, “You go to that fancy university down the road, huh?” He munched on another apple, chewing with a thoughtful look. “Scholarship?”

“Yes, actually. How did you know?”

“With how... _ charitable _ your dad is, or maybe all of you in general, I’m guessing that’s basically one of the only ways you could afford it.” He shrugged. “I was just guessing though. I don’t really know how it works.”

“And what about you? Where do you attend?” she asked.

“Me? I’m not too keen on pursuing that,” he said. “I’m not too interested in that, even though I know it isn’t a good thing. To each their own.”

Ophilia nodded. “I am not one to judge others for their decisions.”

“Really now?” He stared at her.

“Yes. Well, you’re not a  _ criminal _ or the like,” she said. “Or at least, I can’t imagine you being some sort of murderer. You work in a cafe, after all.”

He snorted. “Criminal, huh?” He seemed to consider it. “Did Alfyn or Tressa tell you why I’m working here?”

“Huh? It was…” she took a moment to think. “A debt, wasn’t it?”

“Not a student loan thing,” he said. “Something worse than that.”

Her eyes widened. “Worse?”

He wiggled his fingers. “ _ Worse. _ ” And once more, her eyes caught sight of the metal bracelet clasped around his right wrist. Her eyes observed it carefully, noticing the chain attached that kept making a noise whenever he moved it.  _ Worse _ , he had said. And suddenly, it clicked.

A fool’s bangle. He was a marked thief.

“You’re a…” The word was caught in her throat, and she felt shameful for almost saying it. Yet her reluctance to call him such seemed to annoy him more than if she had openly called him it.

“Yep, a criminal, just like you suggested,” he said. The aftertaste of her hazelnut latte morphed into a dull, bitter one, one that made her lips purse. “Scared now?”

“No,” she said, and meant it. “I just don’t mean to offend you with my ignorance.”

“It’ll take more than that to offend me,” and another apple was popped into his mouth, annoyance dissipated in a second. Either he was a good actor, or he changed moods very easily. “And it’s fine.”

“How did you come to work here?” she asked, hoping she wasn’t overstepping her boundary.

“Alfyn and Tressa. I met Alfyn a while back, and he introduced me to Tressa. Their ‘kind souls’ took pity on me and Tressa gave me this job.” Therion shrugged. “It’s better than anything else.”

“Sunday was truly your first day?”

“Yep, and I definitely took it seriously, hence the reason  _ we _ became acquainted. Really, though, this isn’t the kind of atmosphere I’m used to. This whole  _ place _ isn’t something I’m used to. But I’ll need to work for a while more. Oh, well.”

Perhaps that was why he was taking a break; this lively setting was something that could overwhelm anyone, though Therion didn’t look like the type to be overwhelmed easily. The change of pace would be startling.

“I’m sure you’ll get better at it,” Ophilia said as encouragingly as she could. “And if you ever need a break partner while I’m here, we can sit together like this and simply talk. Perhaps it’ll ease your mind.”

“You’re certainly  _ something _ ,” he muttered. “To be honest, I’m not that comfortable having all this chattering with strangers. But you’re...alright, I guess. Must be that ‘good church girl’ vibe you’ve got going on.”

“Oh, stop it.”   
“Alas, I cannot. Please pray for my sinful heart, Sister.” The laughter that escaped her mouth brought another amused smirk from Therion. 

“And what shall I ask the gods to bestow upon you?” she played along. “Mercy?” Something flickered in his eye, though before she could think further of it, it was gone, replaced with playfulness and comfortability, though she sensed he had held something back.

“The ability to follow your footsteps...and cut better rabbit apples.”

“Perhaps a miracle would not suffice…”

“Thanks, you’re too kind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that canonically Therion should be the one teasing Ophilia more, but I like the idea of her teasing and poking fun at him since he's not the type to take offense to banter. Oh, how the tables have turned.  
> There are multiple references to the band art of the Octopath group in this, more specifically in the cafe name and Tressa.  
> Also, I'm diverting from the canon backstories to suit the AU more; hope it's not too bad. It's fun thinking of all these possibilities! Now if I could only figure out where on earth this cafe even is.


End file.
